


Fuck You

by channexmogar



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: Eventual Fluff, Eventual Gavin Free/Michael Jones, Eventual Romance, Gavin-centric, Gen, Merman Michael, Quiet Gavin, Sad Gavin, Shy Gavin, Tired Gavin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-28
Updated: 2016-09-04
Packaged: 2018-08-11 12:30:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7892389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/channexmogar/pseuds/channexmogar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gavin, a mostly shy and quiet person, has his curiosity peaked when he finds a news article about a mermaid in a lake none of his friends had heard of. Little did he know that finding what was in this lake would change his life, possibly for the worst.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Gavin you asshole, you set the car on fire!"

"I didn't _mean_  to! Let's just get another one!"

There was a loud yell as the car the two spoke of blew up, killing both Geoff and Gavin and kicking them out of the heist. The two had to remain silent, but Geoff was obviously flipping Gavin off. Gavin just bit his lip and kinda shrugged. Oh well.

They watched the rest of the heist play through, Gavin only halfway paying attention and scrolling through his phone. He did this a lot. He would get distracted having to be silent the entire time, so he would do whatever else he could do that would keep him shut up. Even in Minecraft, whenever he died more than enough times, he sorta gave in and just mucked around. The incentive to play wasn't in him anymore. The rush of excitement from just starting to work there was long gone, and while he did adore his job, he was just bored all the time. His friends and co-workers were funny, sure, and they had good conversations, but he almost always found himself on his phone. 

Geoff got his attention after the video ended almost 20 minutes later, mentioning something about lunch. Gavin wasn't particularly paying attention but hey, free food, right? He got up and walked out with the group, "Where are we going then?"

"Already told you. Which Wich." Ryan pointed out in his calm voice. Gavin nodded and smiled, the group climbing in a car. Gavin was squished in the back, but had a window seat, so he leaned on the window and continued to look at his phone. He scrolled through the news, shocked to find something actually interesting and unrelated to the presidential election. Strangely, it had something to do with Mermaids, a myth Gavin always dismissed. But this was different. It claimed that someone had seen a mermaid at a visit to Darkview Lake. 

"Hey, lads? Where's Darkview Lake?" Gavin looked up from his phone, noticing that they were almost there... He should start paying more attention. 

Geoff looked at him from the rear-view mirror. "Where's what?"

"Never heard of it," Jack mumbled.

"What about it, Vav?"

"Oh, uh.." Gavin ducked his head down out of embarrassment. "Nothing, don't worry about it! I was just reading somethin' about it." He held up his phone and smiled sheepishly, but panicked when Ryan reached over from the other window and snatched it.

"Mermaid sighting at Darkview Lake.." Ryan murmured, skimming the article. "Gavin, this is click bait. It's not real. There isn't a Darkview Lake." He gently handed the phone back, but Ray took it this time.

"You can't get laid, so you'd rather fuck a fish?" Ray glanced at Gavin, who wasn't ever as embarrassed as he was now. Ray finally returned the phone to Gavin after picking fun at him a few more times. Geoff even pointed out how impossible it would be for anyone to be half-human, half-fish and never be found.

Gavin took his phone back and closed the article, looking down. "I just asked where it was.." He mumbled, pocketing it. Now he couldn't even distract himself with his phone. 

Fortunately, the group made it to the sandwich shop, cups and all so they didn't have to buy new ones, and they ordered. Gavin showed the group some cool fanart he'd seen, and all was right in the world.  They got their sandwiches and ate, returning to the office to record. 

However, Gavin still had the mysterious Darkview Lake on his mind. He couldn't help it; It was interesting, and Gavin was almost too curious sometimes. The mysterious lake that nobody had heard of, a creature practically confirmed to be fake sighted enough for it to be news, come on! This was amazing!

They played a few more games and called it quits for the day, Gavin left to edit a few of the older videos. He put on some music, humming along to it as he worked. It got his mind off things, and he was able to get some done. In fact, he didn't notice people beginning to leave, and he didn't notice until he was on his fourth video that his music had stopped and that he was completely alone. He pulled his headphones off and looked around. The office was scary when nobody else was in it. He saved and shut down his computer, beginning to go about turning off the lights in the office that were left on. As he walked out, he realized he had no ride home. He was practically stuck at the office. He thought of calling Geoff but realized he was probably getting ready for bed. 

He started to walk, in no particular direction, hoping to make it home. He got lost, however, when he couldn't remember if home was two rights and a left or two lefts and a right, and found himself on a dirt road. There was no light, no cars, and no distinct signs. He turned the flashlight on his phone on, slowly beginning to follow the dirt road.

After probably what felt like a mile of walking, Gavin found himself at a large, crater-like area with little water. "Woah.." He stepped around the edge, looking around. A single, wooden sign tacked to a tree read 'Darkview Lake'. So he was here. But... where was the water, the dark water? There was just a puddle down at the bottom.

Gavin slowly edged towards where the lake was, sitting down at the edge. He was silent, staring downwards at the little pool of water. He pulled out his phone and checked the time. 11:31. He wasn't gonna get home for a long time... 

He jerked up when he heard a screech and a cough from the little pool at the bottom. He put his phone down and looked down at it, seeing what looked like a screaming face. More coughs erupted and Gavin thought of calling someone. Checking his phone again he saw he had no signal. This really was the middle of nowhere. Gavin pocketed the phone and slowly prepared himself to slide down the emptied lake. One gentle push and then he was screaming too, sliding down a bit too fast, unable to slow down until he hit the water. It soaked his pants legs but only went up to about his ankles when he stood. He rubbed his eyes and looked around. God, it smelled disgusting here, Gavin thought. 

He stepped forward and heard another cry, and looked down. He'd stepped on something, or... someone? He looked down and met glowing amber eyes. Gavin stared intently at the eyes. Their glowing revealed a slightly freckled face surrounded in red curls. The eyes blinked, and there was a splash behind him. Gavin looked up, leaning on his arm close to the face, squinting to see whatever had splashed, not noticing the face get closer...and closer...and closer.

Gavin screamed again as the thing bit his arm with sharp teeth. He pulled away, holding onto his arm. He felt blood and three individual bite marks. He bit down on his lip and looked down at the eyes, seeing them blink, and then move. Or, more so, the entire body straightened and sat up. There was another splash as the thing readjusted, and then a slight shimmer of scales. Whatever it was, it reflected light. 

The creature wheezed and a hand reached towards Gavin. Gavin flinched and backed up, calming when it reached into the water and took a handful to its face. Gavin felt around the water, slowly reaching what seemed like scales. He felt it, and it moved. He reached a gash and the creature screamed, reaching and batting Gavin's hand away.

"Hey.. Are you okay..?" Gavin looked at the eyes again, seeing tears. The eyes dimmed, and Gavin slowly reached around the sides of the scale. He stuck his hand under, and lifted, picking up both the strange scales and the rest of the body. Slowly he connected the eyes to the scales and a pair of arms wrapped around Gavin's neck. The eyes disappeared, presumably closed.

Gavin climbed up the lake, pausing to find the thing in his arms laying on his shoulder. Gavin couldn't help but blush, but it stopped when the thing began to cough quietly. Once he made it out of the lake, He laid the thing down. Phone flashlight on, he studied the creature. The thing covered its eyes due to the bright light. 

_A male torso... Good, so it's a dude. Strange, where's the legs? And what's this-_

Gavin nearly dropped his phone. A tail, resembling the color of mahogany, connected just below the male's waist. A tail fin thrashed gently, and Gavin could see gills along the male's neck. So...not a mermaid, but a merman? Gavin pulled out his phone, going to call Geoff before pausing, hovering over the call button. He looked down at the thing and pressed it.

"Hello..?" Geoff's tired, irritated voice answered.

"Geoff I don't know where I am but I found a merman and I need to get home."  Gavin rushed out, picking up the merperson again and beginning to walk. "There's, uh, there're no signs anywhere, and I'm a mile down a dirt road and I'm scared and-"

The noise of the call ending reminded him of the bad signal. He put his phone back and sighed, jogging down the road with his poor new friend. But, at the end of the road, he found his house. "That wasn't there before.." He shook his head and quickly rushed in, running to the bathroom and turning on the tub.

He tossed his new friend in once the tub was filled and watched as he gasped for water. Gavin stared with intrigue at the creature he had just kidnapped. The merman came back up after soaking himself in the warm water, panting. He stared at Gavin with the same bit of interest, moving his tail like a cat would. 

"What's your name?" Gavin asked quickly, grinning. 

He tilted his head. "Um...Name.." Gavin looked around trying to think it through. He pointed himself, "I'm Gavin!" He pointed to the merman's chest, "You?"

"Mm...Michael." He forced out, having a strange accent(lisp?) due to his sharp teeth. 

Gavin grinned, though, "Hi Micool. I'll keep you safe, right then?"

Michael tilted his head again but nodded, a common human gesture. "Safe. Michael safe."

The two spent the night together in the bathroom. 


	2. Exhaustion

Gavin woke up to his new friend making loud, whining noises. He stretched and rubbed his arm, glancing around. He jumped when he remembered he had kidnapped a merman and stuck him in a bathtub. "Oh...good morning." He said quietly, sitting up and rubbing his neck now. Falling asleep on the floor of a bathroom curled into a ball didn't do him much good. He looked at Michael, whose head was underwater, tail sticking straight up. When he made a noise, bubbles appeared. He stuck his head up slightly, eyes poking out.

Gavin scooted over, looking down at him. "I guess there's not much room for you in there, is there?" He commented, running a hand through his hair. Michael rolled his eyes and sunk back under while Gavin checked his phone. A text from Geoff explaining that he would be there in five minutes. Immediately Gavin went into a panic, "Oh bugger all. I'm gonna be late and I can't shower.." He stood, looking to Michael. "Are you hungry?" He didn't wait for an answer and rushed out of the room, returning in at least a different shirt. He brushed his teeth and then rushed out again, Michael paying little attention. Not like he wanted to.

Gavin returned with toast in his mouth and a plate piled with random things. "I bibn't kno wha you could beat.." He explained and put the plate down and removing the toast. "I'll get Geoff to bring me back home at lunch so I can check on you, okay? Just... don't do anything stupid, okay? I know you can't move but, y'know." He quickly spoke, leaning down to Michael's height. He smiled slightly, "Bye Micool." Michael turned the corners of his mouth up in a small albeit angry smile, and Gavin left and ran to wait for Geoff. 

Geoff pulled up and Gavin rushed to get in, still eating. He glanced at Geoff and waved, Geoff nodding in response and heading out. He didn't mention the phone call from last night. Maybe he didn't remember. Gavin finished his toast and looked at Geoff, "So at lunch I need you to take me by my house again."

Geoff raised an eyebrow, "Why?" 

Gavin was embarrassed, "Uh...Well...I gotta..." He frowned and thought up some excuse. "I've got to check on something." When Geoff wanted him to elaborate, Gavin just shrugged. "Just...If you could, that'd be brilliant." Geoff nodded, and the drive continued in silence.

Once at the office, Gavin couldn't keep his mind off of the merman named Michael in his bathtub. He was worried about the thing starving or suffocating, or...really, anything. It was even obvious that he wasn't paying attention now, or in videos, because Geoff had to explain what they were doing twice. In a particularly boring episode of Minecraft, Gavin even fell asleep at his desk. Shenanigans ensued, with the awake players stacking stuff on Gavin's head as he slept. Ryan eventually got everyone to stop after Jack had placed a cactus on the brit, picking up Gavin and laid him down on the couch. 

Geoff looked at him, "Well, let's go with this as an off day for him. Let him sleep, guys." With that, the group made videos a bit quieter, letting Gavin get his rest. The only problem was, the brit was still fast asleep by the time the guys were ready for lunch. Geoff decided to let him sleep and brought back lunch for him.

Gavin woke up at four in the afternoon, curling up and groaning when he woke. He was especially shocked to find himself at the office. He sat up and looked around, finding the guys playing a game quietly. He got up, "What...?"

"Heyy, Gavin's up!" Ray was louder than usual, and looked over at Gavin and waved. 

Gavin sat at his desk, "What's going on..?" He turned on his computer and looked over to the other computers. Cameras were on so he went and ducked in with Jack, watching while he tried to wake up. He yawned and lounged around for the remainder of the video. When it was over, he looked at the time. 

"Blaze it!" Ray yelled, at the realization that it was 4:20. Gavin, however, panicked. "Geoff, you were supposed to take me-"

Geoff hushed him, "I got you food, you're fine. You're basically off for the day because of your nap, so I'll take you home whenever I can, alright? Alright."

Gavin pouted and huffed, but gave in. He paced around for the remainder of the time, staring down at his phone and worrying. Geoff finally took him home after a couple hours, but not without a question. "What's with you worrying about getting home, Gav? You slept through most of the day.." 

"You don't understand, Geoff. I called you last night about a-"

"No, you didn't, Gavin. I never got a call from you." Geoff corrected, shaking his head.

"I _called_  you, Geoff. And I was in a panic, and there's a-" Gavin went silent. "Nevermind, okay? Just take me home, my head hurts.." He was close to crying and just wanted to know if he still had a merman in his bathtub. 

Geoff pulled up to the house and let Gavin out. Gavin waved goodbye, heading inside. He slowly ventured in, heart racing as he edged to the bathroom. He opened the door and walked in, "Micool?"

Michael glanced at him, having not touched his plate of random foods. He ducked under the water quickly and sat up, looking at Gavin. "Hello." He growled, accent flaring. Gavin sat down, "You didn't eat anything." He pointed out, and Michael just stared at him. He seemed slightly confused, but also looked angry to cover  it up. Gavin picked something off of the plate and ate it, "Eat."

Michael shook his head and sunk back under, moving his tail lazily. The water was cold. Gavin frowned, "Don't you have to eat, though...?" He looked at the pile of strange foods and realized that the food was probably nothing Michael had had before. Michael lived in water, probably eating plants and fish or something, not a slice of day old pizza. Gavin sighed, "If you could talk, this would be super easy.."

Michael watched from underwater, bubbles rising from his mouth. He made no noise but only glared. Gavin left the room and returned with the closest thing to something Michael would eat: a salad! Well, really just lettuce, Gavin didn't really have much, but it was worth a try. Michael sat up fully, letting his tail get soaked in the water again, before reaching and taking a leaf. 

He looked at it with intrigue and bit into it. He scrunched his nose at the taste(It wasn't too fresh) but continued to eat. He ate a few of the leaves and shoved Gavin's plate away, going under again. He tended to do that, didn't he? Gavin smiled, "Sorry about that. I'll go out and get more stuff tomorrow."

Michael nodded and dismissed him. Gavin shrugged and headed out, getting a good sleep for tonight.

Gavin woke up early to get food for Michael during the day but didn't intend on having guests over that night. After a day of work, The AH guys ended up stopping at Gavin's house for a night of drinking(except for Ray) and partying (also, except for Ray). 

"FUCK YOU, GAVIN! YOU'RE A CUNT!" Geoff yelled, angry, drunk and laughing as he tossed down the controller. 

"You both have a Peggle problem." Ryan pointed out from the couch. 

Gavin was laughing embarrassedly but was shocked when he heard a new voice in the mix come from the bathroom. 

"FUCK, CUNT!" Michael yelled from the bathroom.

Gavin's eyes widened and he quickly tried to cover it up. "What was that?" Ray asked, glancing at Gavin. "Um...Nothing?" Gavin shrugged, "I'll go check." He got up and scrambled to the bathroom. He rushed in and closed the door behind him, locking it.

Michael, in warmer water that he made Gavin refill, looked up at him. He pointed to his empty plate, "Cunt. Fuck." He ordered. 

Gavin looked at him, "What?"

"Cunt, fucking goddamnit shit!" Michael growled, grabbing the plate and shoving it into Gavin's hands.

"You want more food?" Gavin asked. Michael nodded and mumbled, "Fucking christ." Gavin stared at him, "Ehm... Well, see, I have my friends over and they don't know about you so.. I can't exactly do that.."

Michael growled and opened his mouth, revealing the sharp teeth. Gavin instinctively backed the fuck up. "I'm sorry, I don't want anything to happen to you! What might happen if they find you?"

"Fucking bullshit," Michael mumbled, and Gavin nodded. "Bullshit indeed. When they leave I'll bring whatever you want, alright?"

Michael nodded, stomach growling. He crossed his arms and sunk under to pout like a child. Gavin could clearly tell how bored he was getting in this small room. He made a note to do something about that. "Don't make any noise, okay?" He said quietly and stood up. He left the room and closed it behind him, breathing deeply.

"Well? What was it?" Ray asked, holding his water and heading to the couch. "Eh....Nothing?" Gavin shrugged, "Just some pipes or something." 

Everyone seemed to believe him. An hour or so passed and Gavin finally succeeded in kicking everyone out, Ray being the last to leave.

"I won't tell anyone," Ray said slowly and quietly, nodding to the bathroom. Gavin raised his eyebrows cluelessly, but Ray rolled his eyes. "I've got an inflatable pool. I'll bring it by tomorrow. Goodnight, Vav." 

With that he walked out, leaving Gavin. That's when Gavin realized that Ray had snuck away to go to the bathroom just before Geoff lost his shit at Gavin for ruining their game. He held his head and quickly rushed to get more food for Michael. What had he gotten himself into...


	3. Relax

Ray brought the inflatable pool with him to work the next day, casually giving it to Gavin without a second thought. Gavin thanked him quietly and tried to ignore the rest of the group when they had questions. "What do you need a pool for?" Geoff asked with a cocked eyebrow. Gavin gave the simplest excuse in the world.

"Slow Mo Guys shoot. We don't want to flood the backyard." Gavin mumbled and shrugged, rubbing his eyes. He was losing sleep quickly(Michael was very high maintenance) and didn't want to keep falling asleep at work. So it escalated to him getting more coffee than most people consumed in their lives. He had yet to find the perfect balance; not having enough meant that he'd be tired still, like now. Having too much would make him hyper and unable to focus on editing or even the game they were playing. It made for some amazing behind the scenes, but particularly random videos themselves. He also didn't eat breakfast this morning; This wasn't Michael's fault, he just wanted to spend some time with him this morning and forgot to.

He hadn't thought about eating until after lunch, having traded his lunch break for a quick nap. Fortunately, Geoff picked up lunch for him and he ate during a video. Soon they were done recording and he got to editing, asking  Geoff to get his attention when he was ready to go home. Back to the music he went, and he hummed along to some of his music. Soon the music got quieter, and the room got darker, and slowly, slowly... Gavin was asleep.

He woke up in his bedroom. He rolled over and met the sleeping eyes of his best friend. Michael... What was he doing here? Michael opened his glowing eyes and smiled, pulling Gavin close to him. Gavin could see his sharp teeth, but didn't pull away. He felt strange now, and instead closed the gap between the two. Michael's amber eyes closed and the two kissed, gently. Gavin exhaled, and pulled away gently. Michael opened those eyes yet again and grew fierce, pulling Gavin close in a harsh kiss, rolling over. Michael reached under the covers, and...

"Gavin. Gavin!" Geoff shook the other male's shoulder. Gavin woke with a jolt, stretching and shaking his head wildly. He rubbed his eyes and looked at Geoff, "Yeah..?" Geoff looked worried and frowned slightly, "You alright, buddy?"

Gavin nodded slowly, pulling his headphones off and sighing. "Just tired.." he mumbled, rubbing his head. Geoff sighed, "Listen... I talked to Burnie, and he thinks you need to take a couple days off, catch up on sleep or something. You keep falling asleep at work and it's not healthy." He clearly showed concern, which Gavin was actually pretty surprised about.

Gavin yawned, "Alright, are you sure? I can edit at home if I need to.." 

Geoff shook his head immediately, "I'm taking over for a while. I'm taking you home. Come on."

Gavin got up and grabbed his stuff, stretching as he walked with Geoff to his car. After ten minutes, Geoff made it there and dropped Gavin off. He waved goodbye and said to text him whenever he needed to come back. He walked inside and placed his pool down. He would put it up tomorrow and decided to go to the bathroom. He walked in and sat down at the edge of the tub, reaching in and waving at Michael. Michael didn't move, though. Gavin looked in and saw that he was asleep. He couldn't help but smile, and got up to get more food for him. When he returned, he found Michael awake, yawning and stretching. He met eyes with Gavin and glared, "Hello, cunt." He muttered.

"It's Gavin." He replied, putting the plate down. Michael reached over and picked at it, looking at Gavin with a softer frown than he was expecting. "Fuck." He mumbled, pointing at the food, looking at Gavin. "That's food," Gavin explained, leaning against the wall and yawning. Michael nodded, "Fucking food." 

Gavin chuckled, "Why do you do that? Cursing doesn't mean anything.." Michael looked up at him confusedly, but then Gavin shook his head. "Don't worry about it. I'm going to bed, alright Micool?" He butchered Michael's name, not completely on purpose. He was exhausted. Michael glared at him though, "Michael. Mmmmm... Michael." He tried to pronounce it as clearly as possible. Gavin giggled and smiled, "I know. I just like saying Micool because it's cute." Gavin blushed immediately after and covered his face. He didn't see Michael's freckled face also turn pink. Gavin finally uncovered his face and yawned, "I'm gonna go to bed.." He said quietly, though Michael only barely understood.

Gavin left the room and changed into sleep clothes, collapsing into bed. He had just gotten comfortable, finally ready to catch up on sleep, when he heard Michael calling from the bathroom. Behind the closed door, he could hear various curses.

"Fucking cunt bitch! Asshole, fucking christ!" 

Gavin couldn't tell if Michael was angry or lonely, and so he got up and opened the door. "Michael, I've got to sleep, okay? You were asleep when I got home, but I'm so tired of having to get up every five minutes because you're angry about being in a bathtub! I'm _sorry,_ okay?"

Michael looked hurt for a moment, a few seconds, but then glared. "Fucking asshole. Cunt, fucking god." He commented, crossing his arms but not going underwater. 

Gavin didn't respond and just went back to bed. He left the door open this time so that Michael could see that he was laying down and trying to sleep. This didn't stop the merman, though, "Cunt, fucking bitch? Cunt..... Hello?" This time, he didn't sound too angry. Gavin didn't return, though, "Goodnight, Michael." He said loudly, rolling onto his other side and facing away from Michael. Michael frowned and whimpered before finally agreeing. "Night, cunt." He said quietly before sinking underwater.

When Gavin woke he immediately set out to go set up the inflatable pool in his backyard. Michael hadn't woken him up the entire night, not even to ask for food. He'd finally cracked through Michael's thick head, and wanted to repay him. Not having to go to work for the next few days, Gavin really wanted to spend time with his friend, instead of occasionally seeing him in the mornings and at night when he couldn't sleep. 

After blowing up and filling the pool, Gavin finally had time to eat an actual breakfast before changing into his only pair of swim trunks and getting Michael. He reached in and hoisted Michael up, waking him up instantly. "Fuck? Cunt!" He wheezed out, about to slap Gavin. But Gavin let out the water in the tub and walked out. He carried him out to the back and tossed Michael in before his wheezes got too bad.

Michael realized he was in another body of water, one he could move in, and screeched happily. He popped out, shaking his head like a dog and looking at Gavin with a grin. "Cunt!" He grinned and showed off his sharp teeth, splashing Gavin with his tail. Gavin climbed in and went under immediately, getting used to the water. He popped out and looked at Michael, grinning. "Surprise?" He said quietly, to which Michael grinned again and splashed Gavin.

"Hey!" Gavin laughed and splashed Michael back. "Hey! Cunt!" Michael replied, swimming in a circle around Gavin happily. Gavin ducked under, watching him spin around. He clearly needed to move around some. Gavin reached out and grabbed Michael's waist and pulled him to a stop. Michael looked up at him, trying to pull away by swimming stronger.

Gavin went up for air and then let go, shocked when Michael sped off fast enough to create a whirlpool in the small inflatable pool. He laughed and covered his mouth, watching. Michael popped out and actually performed a jump, flipping in the air and landing by Gavin. He shook his head dry, laughing.  This was the first time that Michael had been happy while in Gavin's care.

The two played and swam together, well, Michael swam and played while Gavin watched. Gavin got out after a while and grabbed a towel, going to get something to eat. He dried off his hair and walked to the kitchen, realizing that someone else was here.

"Ray? How did you get in my house?" He looked at the male digging through his fridge and there he was. He peeked out of Gav's fridge, "Hey. I offered to check on you during lunch. I want to see him." He looked Gavin up and down, "I see that you were in the pool. I'll let myself out. Before Gavin could stop him, Ray walked out and into the back. Immediately a loud yell and a "Gavin!" sounded. 

Gavin rushed out to find the exact opposite. Michael was in the corner of the pool, frightened, and Ray was trying to reach for him. Michael had called for Gavin. Ray looked up at Gavin, putting his hands up. "I didn't do anything. I just tried to see him."

Gavin came over and pulled Ray back slightly, reaching over and grabbing Michael's arm protectively. "Michael, this is my friend Ray. He's not gonna hurt you. He got the pool for you." Michael nodded slowly, but still had a panicked expression. Ray looked up at Gavin. "...Alright, then." Ray stayed away and just studied from afar. He felt his phone vibrate and he sighed. "Well.. I'm gonna have to go." He said quietly, staring at Michael before slowly walking away.  Gavin nodded and waved, stepping into the pool again. 

"What happened?" Gavin asked lowly, worried that Ray was still there. Michael shrugged, but Gavin wasn't having any of that. "You didn't call me a cunt. Something happened, Michael." Michael shook his head, "Asswipe." He slowly swam to the other side of the pool, crossing his arms and sinking under, happy that his entire body could fit under comfortably. He glared at Gavin but something was different about the way he looked at him. 

Michael looked at Gavin as if he had just saved his life.


	4. Drawing

Michael was sad to hear that he would be stuck in the bathtub at nights but didn't complain by means of his colorful understanding of the English language. That was a relief to Gavin, who had never felt more tired than after spending the day with Michael. It was a good tired, though; Gavin wasn't overly stressed and ready to die, he was just ready for a long nap. That would have to wait, though. For right now, he needed to spend more time with his friend. He understood how lonely his friend could get because of how excited he was to be out of that boring bathroom.

He gently placed Michael back in the tub, having filled it yet again with warmer water. He brought in dinner for them both and sat down on the floor. The two ate quietly; even Michael looked a little tired out. Gavin started their conversation for the night while looking at the ceiling. "I still want to know why you're scared of Ray. He's really nice once you get to know him." He heard a tired and slightly annoyed groan. He didn't have to look at Michael to see that he didn't want to have this conversation. But he did look at Michael and was shocked to see a different expression than what he was thinking.

Michael looked deadly uncomfortable and had put a hand to his tail. He stopped touching his dinner and looked downwards. Gavin reached to Michael, placing a hand on Michael's shoulder. Michael pulled away and growled at Gavin, looking up at him with a glare. It was as if the previous moment had never happened. Gavin pulled away gently, thinking of the burning on his arm when he was bitten. The marks had healed but there would be scars. Gavin sighed, "Just trying to help you, Michael."

Michael growled and turned onto his side, crying out in a moment of pain and returned to normal. Slowly red began to flow into the water; blood. Gavin saw it and gagged, but realized he would have to take care of it. He pulled Michael out of the water and dug around in the bathroom closet for bandages. "Crap.," Gavin muttered, realizing he had none that were waterproof. This meant... Oh, great. He just grabbed the bandages and went for it, wrapping the bloodied area of the tail up tightly.

He remembered the night he found Michael. A gash in the tail, that, when touched, caused Michael to scream out in pain. He shuddered and looked at his friend, who was actually crying. It was easy to see; his face was dry except for the streaks. Gavin frowned and slowly finished up bandaging before he could get sick. Seeing someone he had devoted time to the past few days crying because of pain was almost too much for him.

The second he was done bandaging Michael's tail he turned away and tried not to feel sick. He turned back to Michael and gently lifted him out of the water and pulling the plug. He sniffed and gagged again. He needed to shower, and it was obvious. He looked at Michael, who seemed drowsy. I sighed and realized I couldn't shower with him. I filled the tub again dunked his head in it. He woke up quickly, "Fuck?" Gavin sighed and looked at him. "You can't get the bandaging wet, okay?"

Michael frowned and crossed his arms, thrashing his tail gently. He tensed and almost cried out again as he bumped the side of the tub. He agreed then and dunked his head in the water. He shook his hair out like a dog and looked at Gavin. He wasn't tired anymore. Gavin sat down back on the floor. To set a photo: Michael sat on the edge of the tub with only his tailfin stuck in the water, and there was Gavin, stuck looking at Michael's backside. Okay, he wasn't looking _there,_ but more so at his back. There were scratches and clear scars. Gavin was taken aback at it. He began to ask but before he could, Michael looked back at him with a small frown.

"Cunt.." Michael shook his head. "...Gavin." He wanted to tell him something, but the barrier of language was impossible to get around. He was first frowning in thought, and then as he tried to think of what to say, his face contorted into angry annoyance. He held his head, "Ugh." Gavin gently touched his back, to which he scooted away. Gavin frowned, "Micool.."

Suddenly Gavin had an idea. "I saw this in a show once! Actually, a lot... Ah well." He ran out of the room and returned with some paper and a few pens. "We can draw and talk! Now, I'm not too good of an artist, but I can draw a mean stick figure.." Gavin gently twisted Michael around, pulling his tail fin out of the tub and wrapping it in a wet towel. He handed him a pen and grabbed a piece of paper, drawing a simple figure with nice hair and a smile. "This is me!" He smiled and motioned for Michael to try. Michael grasped the pen tightly and tried to mimic Gavin's drawing. It was shaky, and he definitely messed up with the smile. "Gavin.." He mumbled, smiling gently. However when Gavin noticed it turned into an angry glare. Gavin turned the page over and drew another stick figure, except giving him a tail and angry eyebrows. "This is you, Micool." Michael tried to draw himself, but shook and messed up the tail.

He threw the pen down, "Fuck!" and crossed his arms in a pout. Gavin frowned, "Michael, it's alright to mess up. You don't hold pens all the time, silly." He grabbed the pen again and handed it to Michael and held his hand over his own. Slowly he drew out another stick figure, tail and all. Michael calmed when he realized that all was well, and the two slowly traced them out again on another sheet of paper. Gavin slowly but surely wrote his own name under his smiling figure with Michael's pen. "That's my name." He said lowly, glancing up to see Michael staring with intrigue. He soon pulled away from Gavin's hand and began to imitate the strange symbols us humans knew as letters. Under where Gavin had written his name, Michael intently wrote it out himself. It was a little shaky and messy but altogether quite legible. 

Gavin smiled, "Michael, you just wrote my name!" He looked up at Michael to see him actually shocked at his accomplishment. He smiled and didn't hide it, this time, excited beyond belief that he had performed something human. Gavin took his hand again, writing Michael's name out. Michael tried to do it himself, staring at the paper. He wrote it with a little shaking, looking to Gav for confirmation. Gavin nodded and once again, Michael was happy.

They stayed up all night despite being so tired they could've passed out, sitting together, writing and drawing. Michael learned how to show that he was hurt, or sad, and how to ask for things. They drew themselves and Gavin introduced him one by one to his friends. He hadn't brought up Ray yet. That would take a lot of trust that Michael hadn't given yet. They both ended up passing out around four in the morning, laying together on the floor. The soaked towel had dried up, but the two hadn't noticed. This had been so much fun to them. Michael was actually open with Gavin, about things he liked and disliked. Michael liked warm water. Hated cold. His favorite color was green. He didn't like being alone. He despised the minnows that nipped at him if he didn't move.

He liked Gavin.

Gavin liked Michael, too.

....

The next morning, Gavin woke with his legs entangled in Michael's ...Wait... hold on now. He sat up slowly, even slower when he realized that Michael's head was on his chest. He gently put an arm around Michael and looked down at his legs.

Immediately he blushed when he saw that Michael was naked. But the embarrassment became surprise when he saw another pair of legs. Webbed toes and a slight blue tint. Miniature fins connected to his calves. Gavin grabbed a towel and covered Michael up, letting him sleep for a while longer. He pulled away from Michael and changed clothes, grabbing some for Michael to wear. They probably wouldn't fit; Gavin was much too scrawny to share clothes regularly, but it would be good enough. He grabbed a beanie that would hide Michael's fin-like ears and returned to the bathroom.

Michael was sitting up, staring down at his legs in utter confusion. He heard Gavin come in and looked back at him, "What the fuck?". Gavin laughed and shook his head, "I'm not sure. I got you clothes to put on." He held out the shirt and jeans, pausing when he realized he forgot underwear. He rushed and got a pair, blushing nervously. Michael stood shakily, holding onto the wall for support and letting the towel drop. Gavin tried not to look and passed the clothes. Michael put them on to the best of his ability. He needed the other male's help when his shirt was backwards, but afterwards, it was fine. Gavin led him to the couch, giving him a moment to get his walking together, "Listen. Since you don't need to stay in the tub right now, I'm gonna finally go take a shower. Stay here and I'll be out in a few, right?" Michael nodded and planted himself on the couch and gave Gavin his signature glare.

Gavin gave a thumbs up and went to shower. In precisely ten minutes, Gavin returned with his hair soft and smelling sweet. He needed that. He pulled Michael up from the couch with a smile, getting directions to the nearest clothing store on his phone. Geoff couldn't find out about the events of the past day. Plus, he felt like going out for a walk today.


End file.
